Hello,

i'm using skype on an Debian Sarge with esddsp behind a NAT router. The Sound is okay (some exceptions), I can call others and receive calls but after some time (sometimes 2 Minutes - sometimes 15 Minutes...) of speaking I get a "read error" with different errorcodes everytime. Here are some examples:

read error, res = 160 , handle = 21
read error, res = 128 , handle = 21
read error, res = 224 , handle = 23
read error, res = 64 , handle = 21
read error, res = 256 , handle = 21

(In console it looks like this:
--snip--
ItemManager: call timer started
callInProgress 20::43::16
SingleCallManager: callInProgress
WidgetCallTab: updateTabIcon: STATE 0
read error, res = 448 , handle = 21
OutgoingCallTab: hangupBtnClicked()
call: status: 4
Sky: Call: getStatus inprogress
call Status: Call in progress
--snip--)

After such a read error I can't hear my partner and an my partner doesn't hear me - I've to restart skype an call again! This error occures with an without esd!

I'm not sure but it seems that the read error occures after any other program window overlaps the skype window...

Any hints?
Thanks in advance!
Frank

Quite special problem...
Does it only happen with Skype, or also with some other Software?

Anyhow, could you provide more information about your Debian install?
Versions of esd, alsa/oss (kernel parameters if any for loading the modules), gcc, qt. Maybe we can then discover something
Also check your kernel-logs with dmesg, as getting out where the errors come from would help a lot!

I also use kphone for internet telephony, but the only problem there is bad sound quality and seems to be a problem with bandwidth... Other Sound applications (audacity, amarok) work fine - but as I know they don't use esddsp... Any other applications I could test as well?



Today I installed esd 0.2.8 from source, because the debian version didn't work. Now it's fine.
I use alsa from debian package. Version of Package alsa-base is 1.0.7-2. I'm using soundmodule snd_cs46xx for my Terratec X-Fire 1024 without any parameters, module is built from kernel source 2.6.9. This are my loaded sound modules, all without parameters:
snd_cs46xx
snd_rawmidi
snd_ac97_codec
snd_pcm_oss
snd_mixer_oss
snd_pcm
snd_timer
snd
soundcore
snd_page_alloc

gcc version is 3.3.4, but shouldn't matter as skype is binary, hm?
I couldn't find out the qt version, because i'm relative new in linux... if you tell me the command i'll look it up!
/var/log/messages and dmesg doesn't provide any information on this.
Skype version is 0.93.0.3

Some information about my network: My PC uses WLAN to connect to the redhat nat-router. My NAT is only one entry in iptables:
Chain POSTROUTING (policy ACCEPT)
target prot opt source destination
MASQUERADE all -- anywhere anywhere

All other chains are empty with policy ACCEPT

Perhaps another interesting information:
I get the "read error" sometimes even if I only move the skype window around or klick anywhere else...
If I start Skype with "nice -20 esddsp /usr/local/skype-0.93.0.3/skype" I get the read error directly after calling someone.
Most times the handle-part is 21 (as you can see above) - but not everytime...

I hope this informations helps somehow, even though my english is not very well I think! ;-)

As Skype is build for 3.3.* this should work correctly, but gcc 3.4.* has cause quite some troubles (and I don't know it they are all fixed yet!)


So this is at times where Skype should no play any sound? If so, then maybe we need to search elsewhere :?


If you did build the alsa drivers right with your kernel they Should be fine. I know that debian has had (and maybe still has) quite a lot of problems with alsa drivers or libs which were broken! But before you said that Skype had the same problems when run as /path/to/skype/binary (with not wrapper script!), thus Skype accessing kernel-emulated OSS devices.

Do you refer to the matter with \"nice\"? Well, I don't know if I understood your question right, but I'm loosing the sound and get the read error directy after the connection got established!




So do you think it would be helpful to install alsa from source?

BTW: Are you developing skype or are you "just" an user? Perhaps we could find something out by writing over icq (#58491177) (or maybe skype user fonkkk) and then post the solution here...

I guess I don't still really understand you when it's about to know when the errors appear! Is it always at times Skype is trying to handle audio data? Trying without nice may be useful as well, as it removes one possible source of trouble. The less stuff involved, the best are the chances to identify the faulty one!

Don't know if it will help, but replacing Debian Alsa-libs and having either self-compiled alsa-driver (or those is self-compiled 2.6.* kernel) is a good way to go (at least with the experiences I got from Debian and stuff I read.) I didn't stay a long time on Debian, after some time on SuSE an deceptions when trying Debian testing (stable is way too old!) I moved to Gentoo which I use now (quite satisfied with it!)

I'm "just" a user, an try to fix things with the information I have about Skype (they don't tell too much, or you need to ask Skype people repeatedly, those with "Skype Staff" banner)

The read errors occur after some time of speaking... most times after I clicked in any window, I move any window, start an application or even when the screensaver starts... but only most times - not every time!!

If I don't use my computer for any other application during the skype use I get read errors nevertheless after sometimes just 3 Minutes but sometimes after 30 Minutes...

It's extremly irregular... but the Problem doesn't occur if skype is just online and I have no active conversation!

As written above, the read errors occur with and without esddsp, but if I use nice they occur directly after the skype connection to a partner got established - so I of course avoid using skype with nice, it was just an experiment...




Hm, I'll try to install alsa from source when I've time for that... and thanks for the hint with gentoo - I'll try it on my next installation! BTW: Does it also use apt-get or terrible rpm packages? Or a completly different strategy?




So it's the support is not very well i've to say - are the programmers not interested in user problems? I think they would know what the res and handle identifiers mean... But thank you very much for your efforts!

No, it use a completely different strategy. For the start you can use binary packages, but afterwards updates are auto-compiled on your System.

Don't know... maybe they are to few to do so, but it's certain that they should communicate more (this would spead up quite a few things!)

Ditto here, I can connect unreliably to echo123 before seeing a similar read error after <15 seconds. In common with fonk, I'm using the snd_cs46xx module.

This is on Fedora Core 3 (up-to-date), hitting /dev/dsp directly. Sound otherwise works fine with recording, playback etc.